Lifting mechanism



on. 14, 1941. I ER v Q Re. 21923 LIFTING MECHANISM Original Fileduarch'zv, 1959 .4 TTORNE V5- Reissued Oct. 14, 1941 LIFTING MECHANISMJoseph J. Mizer, Racine, Wis., assignor to Walker Manufacturing Companyof W1sconsin, a corporation of Wisconsin Original No. 2,168,489, datedAugust 8, 1939, Serial No. 264,355, March 2'7, 1939. Application forreissue April 12, 1940, Serial No. 329,357

(Cl. 254-133) I same. and embodying a supporting column or 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to lifting mechanisms, and in theparticular embodiment herein disclosed, provides an improved liftingmechanism particularly adapted for use in connection with automobiles.

It will be understood that the lifting or jack mechanisms conventionallysupplied at the presenttime as part of the equipment of automobiles, foruse in making tire or wheel changes, are of two general types; namely,those adapted to be applied to an unsprung part of the vehicle, such asan axle or spring pad, and those which are adapted to be applied to asprung part of the vehicle, such as the bumper. The former type isadvantageous from the standpoint that, being applied to an unsprung partof the vehicle, the jack or lifting device is required to be elevatedonly to the extent that'it is desired to elevate the wheel, but isdisadvantageous in connection with present day automobile designs,because of the increasing use of body designs which overhang the frontand rear axle structures to a substantial extent, and so make itextremely difiicult not only to spot the jack under the unsprung partbut also to elevate it after ithas been so located. The latter generaltype will be recognized as being advantageous from the standpoint thatthe jack may readily be applied to a bumper or. other exposed part ofthe vehicle, but this type is particularly disadvantageous from thestandpoint that an exceedingly large elevating movement of the jack isrequired to produce the relatively small required lifting movement ofthe Wheel, since the lifting movement of the wheel doesnot begin untilthe vehicle spring structure has become relaxed.

There is, therefore, a growing demand in the automotive industry for alifting or jack mechanism which overcomes the above objectionablefeatures of the present jack structures, while at the same timeretaining the advantageous features thereof. With these considerationsin view, the present invention provides what may be called a two-partjack mechanism, one part being hicle so as to retain the wheel inelevated position.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide a liftingmechanism of the above indicated character, embodying a lifting memberadapted to be applied to the felloe, rim, or like .projecting part of awheel so as to elevate the other member adapted to be seated beneathanother unsprung part of the vehicle to retain the same in elevatedposition, so as to enable the lifting member to be removed, after whichthe wheel may be replaced; and to in general provide a jack 'mechanismwhich may be economically manufactured, which requires little storagespace, and which in use, is extremely simple and effective.

With the above as well as other objects in view, which appear in thefollowing description and in the appended claims, a preferred butillustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawing, throughout the several views of which corresponding referencecharacters are used to designate corresponding parts,

and in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing one embodiment of the invention as applied toa rear vehicle wheel; Fig. 2 is a view corresponding generally to Fig.1, showing the lifting member removed, so as to permit removal ofthetire; 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, taken along the 7 line 3-3 of Fig. 1,showing the preferred construction of the lifting member;

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3, but in side elevation;

which particularly adapt it to its present use, the

lifting member Ill may be of generally conventional construction, and isherein illustrated as comprising an enlarged base l4, adapted to restupon the ground or other-supporting surface, a housing portion I6, and alifting column [8 of the ratchet type. It will be appreciated thatmechanism responsive to movement of the handle 20 may be disposed withinthe housing I 6, so that successive up and down movements of the handle20 may be caused to either raise or lower'the lifting column I8.

As previously mentioned, it is proposed, in accordance with the presentinvention, to effect the jacking or lifting operation by first applyingthe lifting member ID to a readily accessible unsprung part'of thevehicle andmore specifically it is proposed to apply the head of thelifting column Hi to a part of the wheel 22 associated with the vehicle24. In accordance with presentday practice, wheel constructionsgenerally comprise a hub structure, a felloe and an outer rim, thefelloe and hub structures being connected together by means of a webwhich may or may not be provided with cut-outs to define spokelikeelements. In these constructions, the felloe or the rim or both extendlaterally outwardly from the web portion, thus providing a relativelysubstantial shoulder. In the present instance, it is preferred to applythe head of the lifting column I8 directly to the shoulder thusprovided, and this relation is shown in Fig. 1, in which the head 26 isseated against a shoulder 26 constituted by the laterally outwardlyprojecting rim. To adapt it for this purpose, the head 26 of the liftingcolumn I8 is formed to have an upwardly projecting nose 30 which may, asillustrated, be provided with a protective sheath 32 of rubber or thelike, so that the application thereof to the wheel structure does notmar or deface the latter. It will be noted that base l4 and housing I6of the lifting member I are so connected together that the housing 16and column l8 extend upwardly from the base I4 at an angle. Thisrelationship enables the base M to be positioned in freely spacedrelation to the lower portion of the tire whil at the same time enablingthe head of the column It! to be placed in operative relation to theupper portion of the wheel structure as described above.

The holding member I2 is herein illustrated as being formed as a columnof fixed length, having an enlarged base 34, and a correspondinglyenlarged head 36. It will be appreciated that the length of the holdingmember (2 is such that when it 'is placed beneath an associated unsprungpart of the vehicle, it holds such part at a sufiicient elevation toenable the associated tire 22 to be freely removed and replaced In thepresent'instance, it is preferred to seat this holding member I2directly beneath the spring shackle 38, in the relation shown in bothFigures 1 and 2 in connection with a rear axle structure. It will beunderstood that, in applying the invention to vehicles havingindependent wheel suspensions, the member I2 is seated beneath anunsprung part of the suspension for the corresponding wheel.

In order to facilitate the locating of the holding member l2 beneath theassociated part of the vehicle, it is preferred to provide the handle40, the shank 42 whereof is adapted to pass through openings and 44provided therefor in the wall of'the column portion of the member I2. Inview of th degree to which present day body structures overhang theunsprung parts of the vehicle, it is frequently difficult to readily seethe unsprung part beneath which the member I2 is to be seated. Toovercome this difliculty, a feature of the present invention resides inoffsetting the handl so as to define a gauge portion 45,-which liesbetween the column-engaging shank 42 and the handle portion 46. Thehandle portion 46 of course terminates in a convenient grip 48. Theproportioning of the handle is such that when the holding member I2 isseated beneath the associated unsprung part of the vehicle, the gaugeportion 45 extends in vertical abutting relation to th inner wall of thetire, and the handle portion 46 extends outwardly from under the tire atapproximately the center of the wheel. In order to form a connectionbetween the handle 40 and the holding member It! by virtue of which thelatter may be moved both forwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle andalso transversely of the vehicle by means of the handle, it is preferredto provide the handle with a shoulder 50 which abuts one wall of thecolumn and, if desired, one or more nuts such as 52 may be removablyprovided on the extreme end of the handle. Also, it is preferred toprovide the handle with a pin 54 which projects into an opening 56 inone wall of the column. It will be understood that when the pin 54 iswithdrawn from the opening 56, the handle 40 may be freely rotatedrelative to the holding member [2, but that when the pin 54 is seated inthe opening 56, such rotation is prevented.

Considering now the preferred manner of utilizing the above describedmechanism, it will be appreciated that the initial step in lifting thevehicle wheel, so as to permit replacement of the tire associatedtherewith, the head 26 of the lifting member ID may be positionedbeneath its associated rim portion 28 and a lifting force applied to thecolumn I 8, so as to lift the wheel above the ground to a degreesomewhat in excess of that required to permit ready removal andreplacement of the tire. With the wheel thus elevated, the holdingmember l2 may be slid underneath the car to a position in which theenlarged head 36 thereof is in registry with the corresponding part ofthe axle structure, shown herein as the spring shackle 38. It will beunderstood that the holding member l2 may be conveniently positionedbeneath the cooperating unsprung part by grasping the grip portion 48,with the gauge portion 46 vertical and with the pin 54 in the opening56, and thereafter moving the column l2 forwardly, by means of thehandle, until such a time as the handle 48 projects upwardly from underthe tire at approximately the center thereof. The handle may finally bemoved transversely so as to bring the gauge portion 46 into abuttingrelation to the wall of the tire. Due to the enlarged size of the head36, some little latitude is permissible, so as to allow for variationsin the accuracy with which the gauge portion 46 is positioned. With theholding member l2 thus positioned, the lifting column l8 may be lowered,so as to release the lifting member ID, after which, as shown in Figure2, the tire may readily be removed and replaced. Following thereplacement of the tir 22, the holding member l2 may be removed byrocking the vehicle 24 off of it, or by again raising the wheel by meansof the lifting member [0 so as to permit easy withdrawal of the holdingmember I2.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been describedin detail, it will be appreciated that various changes in the form,number, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wheel lifting mechanism for association with an unsprung part ofa vehicle having a body portion which overhangs said unsprung part, saidunsprung part being positioned inwardly of the vehicle from the wheel, acolumn adapted to be seated beneath said unsprung part, and handlemechanism operable to position said column beneath said unsprung part,said handle mechanism being formed so as to extend underneath the wheelfrom a position outwardly of the wheel to said column, and said handlemechanism having an offset part spaced from the column in such relationthat when the column is properly positioned beneath the unsprung part,

the offset portion substantially abuts a side wall of a tire associatedwith the wheel.

2. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardlyprojecting part, comprising a base adapted to rest upon a supportingsurface, a substantially linear column carried by the base and extendinginclinedly upwardly therefrom at a fixed angle thereto, a head carriedby the column at the top of the column, said head having an upwardlydirected nose-like part immediately adjacent the axis of the column butoffset therefrom on the side toward which the column is inclined andformed to hook beneath said projecting part, the inclination of saidcolumn being just sufficient so that when said base is positionedimmediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel withthe inclination toward the wheel said inclination brings said wheelengaging nose like part under and in lifting relation to said projectingpart of the wheel, and means operating between said base and column forraising said head and column along the axis of the column so as to liftsaid wheel.

3. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardlyprojecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to restupon a supporting surface, a substantially linear column carried by thebase and extending upwardly therefrom, a head carried by the column,said head having an upwardly directed nose-like part immediatelyadjacent the axis of the column but offset therefrom and formed to hookbeneath said projecting part, said base, column and head being sorelated to each other that when said base is positioned on said surfaceimmediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel andsaid nose-like part is under and in lifting relation to said outwardlyprojecting part said column extends inclinedly towards said wheel fromsaid base, and means operatively associated with said lifting device forraising said head along the axis of the column so as to lift said wheel.

4. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardlyprojecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to restupon a supporting surface, a substantially linear column carried by thebase and extending upwardly therefrom, a head carried by the column atthe top of the column, said head having an upwardly directed nose-likepart immediately adjacent the axis of the column but offset therefromand formed to hook beneath said projecting part, said base, column andhead being so related to each other that when said base is positioned onsaid surface immediately adjacent the base of a tire associated withsaid wheel and said nose-like part is under and in lifting relation tosaid outwardly projecting part said column extends inclinedly towardssaid wheel from said base, and means operating between said base andcolumn for raising said head and column along the axis of the column soas to lift the wheel.

5. Lifting mechanism for a load carrying vehicle wheel having a tire andhaving in the outer face of the wheel a recess which is substantiallyconcentric with the wheel and the marginal surface whereof extendsoutwardly toward the outer face of the wheel, comprising a detached jackhaving a base adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, a columnextending upwardly from and supported by the base, and a head on thecolumn formed to operatively engage under the inner surface of therecess at a point substantially directly above the wheel axis, said headhaving a nose-like part formed to hook beneath said marginal surface,said base, column and head being so related to each other that when saidbase is positioned on said supporting surface immediately adjacent thebase of a tire associated with said wheel, said nose-like part engagesunder and in lifting relation to said marginal surface, said nose-likepart constituting the sole part of said jack which operatively engagesthe wheel, and means operatively associated with the jack for elevatingthe head to thereby elevate the wheel.

6. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardlyprojecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to restupon a supporting surface, a column carried by the base and extendingupwardly therefrom, a head carried by the column, said head having anupwardly directed nose-like part immediately adjacent the axis of thecolumn but offset therefrom and formed to hook beneath said projectingpart, said base, column and head being so related to each other thatwhen said base is positioned on said surface immediately adjacent thebase of a tire associated with said wheel, said nose-like part engagesunder and in lifting relation to said,

outwardly projecting part, said nose-like part constituting the solepart of said jack which operatively engages the wheel, and meansoperatively associated with said lifting device for raising said head soas to lift said wheel.

7. A lifting device for a vehicle wheel, said wheel having an outwardlyprojecting part associated therewith, comprising a base adapted to restupon a supporting surface, a column carried by the base and extendingupwardly therefrom, a head carried by the column, said head having anupwardly directed nose-like part immediately adjacent the axis of thecolumn but offset therefrom and operative to hook beneath said projecting part, said nose-like part being of elongated form theintersection whereof with a plane generally parallel to the plane ofrotation of the wheel when the device is in operative relation to a saidwheel is generally horizontal, said base, column and head being sorelated to each other that when said base is positioned on said surfaceimmediately adjacent the base of a tire associated with said wheel, saidnose-like part engages under and in lifting relation to said outwardlyprojecting part, said nose-like part constituting the sole part of saidjack which operatively engages the wheel, and means operativelyassociated with said lifting device for raising said head so as to liftsaid wheel.

JOSEPH J. MIZER.

